UPSC Previous Year Question | Mains GS3 | 2021
How is S-400 air defence system technically superior to any other system presently available in the world? (Answer in 150 words)
Answer
Introduction
The S-400 Triumf is a layered, mobile surface-to-air missile system designed to detect, track and engage diverse aerial threats at different ranges.
Capabilities
Technical strengths
- Its multi-band radars provide long-range surveillance and enable engagement of aircraft, cruise missiles and some ballistic-missile targets.
- A family of interceptors offers layered coverage rather than dependence on one missile range.
- It can track numerous targets and engage multiple threats, improving saturation-attack resilience.
- Mobility, rapid deployment and networked command systems increase survivability and operational flexibility.
- Its sensor-interceptor combination creates an anti-access/area-denial bubble around critical assets.
Qualification
Balanced assessment
No air-defence system is invulnerable. Effectiveness depends on radar integration, electronic warfare resilience, crew training, logistics and protection against drones, decoys and coordinated attacks. Superiority is therefore mission- and network-dependent.
Keywords
Layered defence; multi-band radar; interceptors; ballistic missiles; mobility; network-centric warfare.
Topics: air defence, defence technology, s-400 system, science and technology